Veterans Affairs Canada lacks adequate limits on the soaring cost and usage levels of marijuana among ex-soldiers who are using it for medical purposes, authorizing in some 340 cases the consumption of 10 grams a day twice Health Canada’s recommended threshold.

The number of veterans receiving medical marijuana jumped from 112 in 2013-14 to 1,320 in 2015, and the cost rose accordingly; from $408,810 to $12.1 million. The audit estimates the cost could reach $25 million in 2016-17, nearly one third of the drug costs of the Veterans Affairs health benefits program.

Veterans Affairs also lacks a “well-defined approach” for monitoring drug use among veterans, and does not monitor trends that could indicate “high-risk” behaviour. For instance, while it will not cover the cost of acetaminophen that exceeds the maximum recommended dose, no such limits exist for narcotics or sedatives.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada lacks a systematic method of identifying and documenting fraud risks among its applicants, resulting in people being granted citizenship based on incomplete information or background checks.

The RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency do not consistently share important details about criminal charges and potential residency fraud with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Between 2008 and 2015, 50 different applicants used the same single address on their citizenship applications during overlapping time periods; seven of the applicants became Canadian citizens before the address was flagged during a residency fraud investigation.

Citizenship officers did not always follow the standard procedure of checking travel documents against the department’s database of lost, stolen and fraudulent documents.

Out of 38 criminal cases since 2010 involving a permanent resident or foreign national, the RCMP shared the relevant details with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in only two of them.

Individual units of the Canadian Army’s reserve units lack sufficient soldiers just 14,000 instead of a needed 21,000 as well as access to key equipment for domestic missions and clear guidance on training, counter to National Defence’s stated goal.

Between the 201213 and 201415 fiscal years, the number of Canadian Army reservists has dwindled by about five per cent, or about 1,000 soldiers per year.

The process of choosing fund managers for the government’s $400-million “Venture Capital Action Plan,” established in the 2012 budget, was onerous, laden with red tape and insufficiently fair, open and transparent, resulting in just nine submissions out of a possible 100 would-be candidates.

The Immigration and Refugee Board has long-standing vacancies that are contributing to decision-making delays; 21 positions are vacant, leading to wait times of an average of 18 months.

Via Rail lacks a long-term plan or direction approved by the federal government, receiving federal approval only for short-term funding and its five-year plan a “significant deficiency” that makes it impossible for Via to “fulfill its mandate as economically, efficiently and effectively as desired.”